Mark Morgan Ford is a lifelong practitioner of writing, teaching, entrepreneurship, martial arts and philanthropy.
He has been writing and publishing since 1962 when, at age 12, he sold an underground booklet titled Excuses for the Amateur to his fifth-grade peers. Since then, he has written more than two dozen books on business, entrepreneurship and wealth building (several of which were New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-sellers), as well as half a dozen books on rhetoric and three books of poetry. He has also written and produced four feature-length movies.
From 2000 to 2010, he posted more than 3,000 essays on his Early to Rise blog, which, at one time, had a circulation of nearly a million readers. From 2010 to 2015, he retired from all but one of his business concerns and created an educational curriculum on wealth building. He donated the curriculum – which consisted of thousands of pages of advice and instruction – to the Wealth Science Institute, a non-profit organization whose goal is to encourage industry, entrepreneurship and prudent financial management for the “not yet wealthy.”
As an entrepreneur, he has been involved in dozens of multimillion-dollar businesses, including one whose revenues exceeded $100 million and another that broke the billion-dollar mark. His current business interests include the Agora companies (a large international publishing group), Ford Fine Art (a broker of Latin American and contemporary fine art in Miami, Nicaragua and Delray Beach), AWAI (a company that teaches writing and graphic arts), Lion’s Kill (a movie production business) and Palimi (a business consulting company).
As a real estate investor, he has been involved in more than a hundred projects and developments, from single-family homes to apartment buildings, office buildings and resort communities. Travel & Leisure magazine recently voted the hotel facility in one of these resort communities – Rancho Santana on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua – “one of the 100 best in the world.”
A student of martial arts since 1998, Ford has won three Naga championships. He received his black belt from Marcel Ferreira in 2015.
His charitable activities include FunLimon, a community development facility across the street from Rancho Santana that provides a range of services, including an athletic program, a microlending program, a trade school and a literacy school.
He has attempted to retire four times in his career, never successfully. His current goal is to give away 90% of his wealth in the next decade.
Articles by Mark
How a $10 Bill Made Me Richer Than All My Friends April 17, 2019- I made this wealth-building commandment No. 1: Get a little bit richer every day.
How to Survive and Profit From Black Swan Events April 10, 2019- As a wealth builder, you have a choice. Try to predict the future (impossible) or learn how to protect yourself and even profit from adverse events.
You Can Live a Rich Life While Building Wealth April 3, 2019- Many people believe they have to scrimp severely to optimize their savings, while others spend everything they earn. But it is possible to live a rich life while acquiring wealth.
Four Ways to Be Rich – Rate Yourself Now March 27, 2019- Being "rich" usually refers to financial wealth, but there are other ways you can be rich that will also improve your life.
Facts and Fallacies About Building Wealth March 20, 2019- Six fallacies about building wealth and useful insights.
How to Make Tough Decisions Easy March 6, 2019- Instead of using our experience to judge the validity of facts and figures, we judge the validity of our own experience by facts and figures.
What You Should Ask Your Money Manager – Right Now February 27, 2019- The only way to know what you are paying a financial advisor or money manager is to ask them to disclose all costs clearly and fully.
10 Quick Ways to Improve Yourself Every Single Day February 13, 2019- Here are 10 “small” actions you can take every day that will make your life better.
Nobody Owes You Anything: From Gardener to Entrepreneur January 16, 2019- Every minute you spend thinking about or asking for money you didn't earn is a minute wasted and a bad habit reinforced.
The Radical Acceptance of Death and Its Benefits January 10, 2019- When I think about making good use of the time I have left, it’s clear to me that working on my personal relationships should be my top priority.